


Out of My Mind

by LovingWolf93



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Inspired by Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-06 09:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14638836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovingWolf93/pseuds/LovingWolf93
Summary: What happens if Robin never left Storybrooke, and Alice got away from the Enchanted Forest before the new curse took effect?  When Alice ran from Wonderland, she found another door leading to a world she’s never seen before. A world without magic. Deciding that the new world would be an interesting adventure, Alice finds a place to stay while she explores the strange land.





	1. Prologue: New World

Standing in the forest staring up at the remains of the tower that once kept her prisoner for the first 17 years of her life, Alice felt both sadness and happiness overwhelm her. She felt sorrow knowing that she had spent nearly her entire life locked away from the world, unable to see her papa or make any friends. All she had were the stuffed animals her papa had brought her before the witch cursed him, making it impossible to see him again. And, of course, she was happy because she was finally free, able to explore the world she had missed out on for most of her life. 

She had been to many places since gaining freedom from her prison, but the one most people seem to know her by is Wonderland. Alice absolutely hates it when people ask if she’s the Alice from Wonderland. She’s been “loads of places” she always tells them, feeling anger that with all her adventures, only one seems to be brought up. The one place she got into the most trouble. 

Papa would be proud to know just how many places Alice has been since breaking free, and each place she visits, she searches for a cure to her father’s poisoned heart. Maybe one day she’ll find a way to finally be able to be near her papa again without it killing him. 

Sighing, Alice turned away from the remains of her past and started strolling further into the Enchanted Forest. She was so lost in thought that she was surprised when she slammed into something solid. 

“Ow,” she mumbled, rubbing her forehead as she looked up to see a random door in the middle of the forest. “Curiouser and curiouser,” Alice said, titling her head as she reached out and knocked on the door before her. “Now where did you come from?” 

Walking around the door in confusion, Alice was even more baffled when she noticed the door wasn’t attached to anything. “Well, aren’t you a strange one? And that’s coming from me,” Alice announced, reaching out and knocking on the door from the other side now, hoping something would happen to let her know what the door was for. 

When silence followed the knock, Alice walked back around the door to where she had initially been and reached out to swing the door open. “Hmm, nothing strange on the inside either. Maybe someone just left you behind, friend. I know what that’s like, Door. I’ve been abandoned by everyone as well. Perhaps we can be friends,” Alice said, stepping forward to rest her hand on the frame only to trip on a root and fall forward through the doorway. 

“Ouch! We can’t be friends if you keep hurting me,” Alice grumbled, before pushing herself up off the ground and frowning when she noticed it was no longer soft grass, but something hard, almost like a giant rock. “Have I drank the shrinking potion again?” 

Looking around herself, Alice was surprised to see that she was no longer in the Enchanted Forest, at least no part that she recognized. Instead she was standing on a large rock like substance, surrounded by strange buildings and creatures she’s never seen before. 

“Now where have I gone?” Alice wondered, stepping forward carefully in case the rock like substance was a river or ice. When nothing happened, Alice continued forward reading the words on the strange buildings and taking in her surroundings. 

A moment later, her eyes landed on the doors to a place that seemed filled with people. “Granny’s?” Alice read, tilting her head. “Maybe I’ll recognize someone inside, or they’ll recognize me,” Alice mumbled, before rushing forward and running inside. 

As soon as Alice entered, she scanned each face, hoping to see someone she knew only to frown when she realized no one looked familiar. Alice turned to leave, ready to find a way back to the Enchanted Forest when she saw a very familiar face walking towards the diner, towards her. 

“Papa!” Alice cried out, before rushing out the door of the diner and wrapping her arms around the unsuspecting man. “Papa, how did you get here? Where are we? When did you find the cure?” Alice asked as she hugged the man tightly. 

“Papa? What is she talking about, Killian?” a blonde woman standing nearby asked. 

“Not sure, Love,” Killian said, before pulling away from Alice and giving her a confused look. “Do I know you, Love?” 

“It’s me, Papa! It’s Alice!” 

“I’m sorry, but I’m no ones Papa,” Killian announced, before giving a soft glance towards the blonde woman beside him. “At least not for a few more months.”

“How do you not recognize me?” Alice asked, sadness engulfing her as she stared into her father’s very confused eyes. 

“Wait, wasn’t Wish Hook’s daughter named Alice,” the blonde woman said, giving Killian a curious look. 

“Bloody hell, Emma, I think you’re right,” Killian announced, before looking at Alice again. “Alice, I’m not your papa. Your papa is in a different reality than this one, and I’m assuming you should be in that reality as well.”

“You’ve lost me,” Alice mumbled, giving the couple in front of her a confused look. “You look like my Papa, and you talk like him. How are you not my Papa?” 

With that, Emma Swan and Killian Jones told the story of Emma’s wish realm and Wish Hook. It took a while of explaining, and some more in-depth description before Alice finally understood how such a thing was possible. 

“So, you’re another version of my Papa, but you’re not my Papa?” Alice asked, making sure she understood. 

“Yes,” Killian answered, giving the girl a sad look. “Sorry, Love.” 

“So, do I call you Captain Hook? That’s what Papa said everyone called him in his stories,” Alice said, her eyes widening in excitement. 

“Sure, Love.” 

“Okay, Captain Hook,” Alice said, smiling widely as she spoke. “And you’re Emma Swan?” 

“Yes, I am.”

“Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter? I didn’t know they had a daughter,” Alice said, titling her head in confusion. “Papa probably just forgot to mention her in his stories. He didn’t tell many stories about other people.”

Emma smiled at Alice’s words and looked at Killian with a raised eyebrow. “I can believe that.” 

Smiling sheepishly, Killian shrugged. “I’ve lived a long time, Love. Might as well tell my own stories.”


	2. Chapter One: Fear and Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't have a set day for updating this story due to college starting back up for me tomorrow, but I do have a prewritten chapter after this one that I can post whenever its wanted. Thank you everyone who is taking time to read this, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Standing inside the top of the clock tower looking down, Alice smiled as she felt warmth at the familiarity of her situation. Living inside a tower again, but this time she was living in one by her own choice. She loved the view of being able to stare down at the town, enjoyed knowing that she could leave this tower any time she chooses. She wasn’t locked away in a prison, she was free. 

Staring out, Alice watched the residents of this strange town wandering through the streets. Not-Papa Hook told her that this land was called Storybrooke and was a land without magic. It was a strange land, too. There were so many people in strange clothing, and these beastly items that Emma Swan called cars. 

Watching the strangers strolling down the streets, Alice’s eyes locked on a dark-haired girl in a black school jacket making her way through the other people with two others trailing behind her. Alice was surprised by the confidence this stranger seemed to exhibit, even from a distance. With her head held high, the girl moved with such grace that Alice couldn’t take her eyes off her. It wasn’t until a loud crash caused Alice to jerk her gaze away that Alice was finally broken out of the trance she had found herself in. 

Turning in the direction the noise came from, Alice looked around and finally saw a piano had crashed onto the ground, somehow falling from one of the buildings. “Curiouser and curiouser,” she mumbled, staring at the strange situation before turning to find the intriguing stranger from moments ago. 

Glancing all over the streets, Alice was disappointed when she was unable to locate the woman who had entranced her. Giving a sigh of frustration, Alice lifted her eyes to the stars and started counting the stars. She remembered counting them for so long when she was a child. She had a name for each one she could see from the tower window, but something was different about these stars. These were strangers to her. 

“Hello, new stars,” Alice whispered, smiling sadly up at them. 

“Oh my god, what a freak!” a feminine voice announced, startling Alice into turning around quickly and staring at a trio of strangers. 

“I thought your Aunt left the crazy ones in the Enchanted Forest when she cast the curse?” the only guy in the group asked, looking at the dark-haired girl appalled. 

“If she didn’t, she should have. We have enough losers here without adding crazies,” the same girl announced, standing behind the dark-haired girl who was remaining silent. 

“Robin?” the guy mumbled, staring at their quiet leader. “What should we do about the freak?”

“Hush, I’m thinking,” Robin finally said, her voice sounding almost angelic to Alice’s ears. 

“Um. Shouldn’t I get a say?” Alice asked, starting to feel a little worried as she stared at the trio. 

“Shut up,” Robin said, giving Alice a small glare as she continued to contemplate something. Finally, after a few more moments of silence, Robin gave a smile that reminded Alice of Cheshire Cat from Wonderland. “Where did you come from, Tower Girl? I know for a fact that you’re not one of the people brought from the Enchanted Forest with the curse because I’ve gone through everyone in my head and your face is new. So, who are you?”

“I’m Alice. Alice Jones. I’m actually not sure how I got here, but I did come from the Enchanted Forest.” 

“Really? So, what is your real name, Alice Jones?” Robin demanded, stepping towards the nervous blonde. 

“What do you mean? My name is Alice. That’s the name Papa gave me at birth. I’ve never known another,” Alice replied, not understanding the girl’s question. 

Staring at the girl in silence, Robin seemed to consider something before the Cheshire smile came back, causing Alice to feel nervous. “Well then, Alice, how about we go for a little adventure? My friends and I were planning on trying a magic spell. Would you like to help?” Robin wondered, locking her green eyes with Alice’s blue ones. 

“Um…yeah, yes, sure,” Alice mumbled, her brain seeming to short circuit as she stared into Robin’s green eyes. 

“Good. Now come along,” Robin said, slipping her arm through Alice’s and dragging her through the clock tower and out onto the streets of Storybrooke. 

“Where are we going?” Alice asked, confused by the sudden change. 

“On an adventure,” Robin announced, smiling mischievously over at her friends as they made their way out of the town and towards a graveyard. 

“I don’t like graveyards much. The dead are always yelling and being naughty. Can we have an adventure elsewhere?” Alice pleaded, trying to stop the brunette from dragging her inside. 

“No, we can’t. Come on, Alice. You said you wanted to go on an adventure with us. This is where our adventure will be today,” the nameless girl announced as she grabbed Alice’s other arm and helped Robin drag her into the graveyard and toward a mausoleum in the back. 

“Please, they’re getting angry,” Alice mumbled, trying to pull away. 

“Relax, Tower Girl, we’re almost there,” Robin said, before releasing her hold on Alice’s arm and waving a hand towards the door of the mausoleum. “In you go.” 

With a shove from Robin, Alice stumbled into the mausoleum with the three strangers following behind her. “Where are we?” 

“My family mausoleum. Aunt Regina keeps her magical items hidden here,” Robin said as if it explained everything to the very confused Alice. 

“Not-Papa said that there is no magic here,” Alice replied, tilting her head to show her confusion. 

“Well your Papa is wrong. Aunt Reginia and I both have magic. Mom lost hers when she decided to play hero,” Robin said, walking over to a stone coffin and pushing it out of the way to reveal a staircase. “Come on, Alice. Time to have some fun.” 

“I really don’t think we should be here. They don’t like us here,” Alice said, trying to turn towards the door only to have Robin’s two friends step in front of her. 

“Come on, Alice. Michael and Chloe are only trying to keep you from missing out on fun,” Robin said, walking back over to Alice and touching her arm. “You really should calm down. We’re here for an adventure.” 

For some strange reason, Alice couldn’t help but feel as if she could trust the brunette, and a calm overtook her. It was an indescribable realization that Alice didn’t know how to explain, but as soon as Robin touched her, her fear faded. Robin, noticing Alice was now calm, smiled and grabbed Alice’s hand, dragging her down the stairs into the crypt of the mausoleum. 

“Chloe, Michael, get the ingredients together for our little spell,” Robin said as she led Alice over to a cauldron.

“What spell?” Alice asked, confused by Robin’s words. 

“The one I asked you to help us with,” Robin said, smiling. “You agreed to help us in the clock tower, remember?”

“I did?” Alice wondered, growing more confused as she tried to remember Robin asking her about a spell.

Ignoring Alice’s confusion, Robin turned to her two friends and started grabbing the ingredients they were handing her and dropping them into the cauldron. “Now let’s gather around the cauldron.”

“Robin, I really don’t think we should do this,” Alice tried again, starting to walk towards the stairs only to be grabbed by Michael and Chloe and pulled to stand before the cauldron. 

Robin smiled wickedly at Alice for the first time that night, and Alice felt her bones go cold as Robin’s voice came out strong. “Rise up, Goddess. Feel our flame. Rise up, Goddess. Take thy spear. We raise our voices in your name. Our faces bowed in fear. Our faces bowed to you,” Robin chanted, keeping her head bowed until the words were finished. 

Once the chanting subsided, Alice looked at the cauldron and smiled in relief. “It didn’t work,” Alice said, joyfully. 

“That’s because we need just one more ingredient,” Robin announced, the creepy smile still on her face as she stared at Alice. “I’d love if you could help us with that.”

“I don’t do magic. Perhaps you can ask someone else. I’m sure someone knows loads of magic,” Alice said, trying to get her arms free from Chloe’s and Michael’s grips. 

“You don’t need experience to help us, Alice. It’s actually better that you don’t have any experience, otherwise you’d know what we’re doing,” Robin said, stepping forward and cupping Alice’s cheek in her hand. 

“What are you doing? Why do you need my help?” Alice wondered, not following what was going on. 

“We need a sacrifice, Tower Girl,” Robin announced before slamming her hand into Alice’s chest and pulling her heart out, smiling proudly. “It actually worked.” 

“That’s…that’s my heart,” Alice said, staring in horror at the sight of her heart glowing in Robin’s hand. “How am I alive if my heart is in your hand?” 

“Magic,” Robin said simply before walking over to the cauldron and holding the heart over it. “Though you won’t be alive much longer.” 

“All right. That’s it. Spell time’s over,” a redhaired woman said, standing in the doorway and staring at everyone. “Everyone out. Now!” 

Alice watched as Chloe and Michael dropped her arms so quickly and practically sprinted up the stairs, clearly afraid of the woman standing before them. 

“Hello, we’re going too. Give her back her heart,” the woman said, looking directly at Robin. 

“Oh, come on, let me finish this. I worked really hard on it,” Robin pleaded, looking at her mother. 

“Absolutely not. Give the poor thing her heart back.”

“Fine,” Robin mumbled, before turning to Alice and pushing her heart back in her chest. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” a dark-haired woman asked as she rushed down the stairs to look at Robin and a terrified Alice. 

“Relax, Aunt Regina. I just wanted to practice some magic. I wasn’t actually going to kill her,” Robin announced, looking between her mother and aunt in silence. 

“Tell that to the poor girl trembling in fear in the corner,” Regina said, lifting her hand to point in Alice’s direction. 

Staring at Alice in confusion, Robin tried to figure out when Alice had moved away from her to crouch in the corner. “It was just a harmless prank,” Robin defended, watching Alice concerned for a moment before turning to glare at her mom and aunt. 

“Harmless? You call that harmless? Look at her, Robin. Your ‘harmless prank’ did that,” Regina snapped, watching sadly as Alice slapped the side of her head and mumbled to herself. “Threatening someone’s life isn’t harmless.”

“She was already insane. I didn’t cause that,” Robin argued, trying to hide behind anger even though her green eyes showed her fear. 

“They’re so loud. Make them stop, make them stop, make them stop,” Alice mumbled, causing Regina and Zelena to look at Alice in silence. 

“She’s been mumbling about voices since we got here,” Robin said as she watched her aunt move to kneel before Alice. 

“Dear, you’re all right now. No one is going to hurt you,” Regina said, reaching out to touch Alice’s arm. 

“Please be quiet, please stop,” Alice mumbled, until Regina’s hand touched her arm. As soon as Reginia touched her, Alice jerked away quickly and jumped to her feet. “Stop!” she cried out, before rushing out, leaving everyone standing there confused.


	3. Chapter Two: Forgiveness and Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read the story so far. Just wanted to point out that this story is taking place before Robin went to the Enchanted Forest and reinvented herself into the new Robin Hood. She described herself as a mean girl to Alice, and you'll see more of that in the story. Don't lose out hope though. Mad Archer/Curious Archer will win out.

Alice raced from the graveyard and through the town of Storybrooke, not stopping until she reached a forested area. She was terrified. Not only had this dreadful town given her false hope when she saw Not-Papa, but someone had tried to kill her, magic apparently does exist in this land, and she was all alone. No one would care if that Robin girl had succeeded in killing her. No one here even knew who she was. 

Giving a sad sigh, Alice started pacing back and forth in frustration. “I don’t know what to do, Papa. If you were here, you could guide me. You’d probably say, ‘Starfish, you’ll find your way,’ but Papa I don’t think I will. I think I really messed up coming here. I just hope I find my way back to you, Papa.” 

Continuing to pace, Alice slapped at her head trying to force herself to think of a way to get back home to the Enchanted Forest. “Come on, Alice. There’s got to be a way to get home.” 

“You know, talking to yourself doesn’t make you seem any less crazy,” a familiar voice said, causing Alice to jump and give a surprised squeak as she turned around to see Robin standing behind her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“No, you just want to kill me,” Alice said, backing away from Robin and looking for an escape route. 

“Look, I wasn’t really going to kill you. I just wanted to scare you a little,” Robin said, frowning at the still terrified blonde. “If it’s any consolation, I’m grounded and can no longer use my phone or hang out with my friends until I move out of Mom’s house. Even being 18, she’s controlling me.”

“What are you getting at? Are you saying you can fly, and why would you want to hang somewhere?” Alice asked, distracted enough by Robin’s words that she stopped looking around her and just focused on the brunette in front of her. 

“Grounded means that I’m in trouble. Things I am normally allowed to do are being taken away from me. No, I can’t fly. And hanging out with someone means, doing things with them. Not literally hanging,” Robin explained, hoping Alice understood. 

“Such odd ways of saying that you’re in trouble,” Alice mumbled, giving Robin a strange look before remembering what had happened in the graveyard and getting nervous again. “Why are you here? You said you weren’t really going to kill me.”

“I came to apologize. We just wanted to scare you a little since were acting extremely weird. I didn’t think about how scary that must have really been for you. I’m sorry,” Robin said, forcing an apologetic look onto her face. 

“Alright then,” Alice said, keeping her distance. “If you’re truly sorry, tell me how to get home.”

“To the clock tower?” Robin asked, not understanding Alice’s meaning. 

“No, to the Enchanted Forest. Hell, I’d even take Wonderland at this point. Somewhere more familiar,” Alice said, rubbing at her arm with one of her hands as nerves overtook her again. 

“Oh, you’re that Alice.”

“What Alice?” 

“From Wonderland,” Robin realized, glad she finally knew who this strange person before her was. “That explains the crazy.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? I’ve been loads of places. Why do people always bring up Wonderland?” Alice wondered, frustrated by the fact that yet another person knew her from her tales in Wonderland. 

“Sorry,” Robin replied, shrugging in response to Alice’s words. “’Alice in Wonderland’ is a well-known story in this world. I didn’t think you actually existed like the rest of us.”

“Of course I exist. How could I not exist? I’m as real as you are!” 

“I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m just saying, your story is so insane, I didn’t think a place like that existed. Then again, my father was Robin Hood, and Mom is the Wicked Witch from Oz so who am I to judge insanity.”

“Robin Hood and the Wicked Witch?” Alice asked, surprised by girl’s the strange combination for parents. “I thought Robin Hood was a good guy?” 

“He was. Mom kind of tricked him into sleeping with her. It’s a long story. Anyways, she got pregnant with me and turned good…ish.”

“Huh…and I thought Wonderland was a strange land,” Alice mumbled, looking around her. “Wait…why are you being nice to me? You pretended to want to kill me earlier.” 

“It was a joke,” Robin said, exasperated by Alice not realizing that. 

“Papa always told me that jokes are supposed to be funny. If another person doesn’t find them funny, then it’s just cruelty,” Alice argued, staring Robin down. 

“Look, do you want my help getting back home or not?” Robin asked, ignoring Alice’s comment. 

“Can you create a portal?” 

“I can’t, but I’m sure my mom or Aunt Regina know something. Come on, we can go ask them if they have a way to get back to the Enchanted Forest,” Robin told her, watching Alice’s calm expression turn cautious again. 

“How do I know you’re not trying to trick me again?” Alice asked, carefully watching Robin. 

“You don’t, but if you want my help, you’re going to have to trust me.”

“If you try to kill me again, I will stab you. Papa taught me how to use a sword when I was a wee baby. ‘Pirates are the best swordsmen,’ he’d say,” Alice announced, pulling a knife out of her boots to show to Robin. “It may not be a sword, but the concept is still the same.” 

“Look, I’m not going to hurt you. Now can you put the knife away so we can go?” Robin asked, irritated with Alice’s threat. 

“Fine,” Alice mumbled, waving her hand in a gesture to let Robin know to lead the way. 

After walking in silence for a few moments, Robin decided to break it, wanting to learn more about the strange blonde. “So, your dad was a pirate?” 

“Is a pirate,” Alice corrected, not elaborating as she followed behind Robin. 

“If he’s still alive, why talk about him in past tense?” Robin wondered, stopping to look over her shoulder for a moment at Alice before continuing through the woods. 

“His heart is cursed. I haven’t seen him since my 16th birthday,” Alice explained, watching as Robin came to a stop again and turned to look at her. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it must be hard thinking about him. What kind of father deserts his daughter?” Robin said, turning to walk off again. 

“My father is a good man. He didn’t desert me. A witch poisoned his heart so that he can’t be near me again. If he gets too close to me, it’ll kill him,” Alice explained, anger clear in her voice from Robin’s misunderstanding. 

“Oh,” Robin mumbled, giving a sheepish smile as she realized her mistake. “Mine died when I was a baby. I never knew him, but Mom named me after him. Aunt Regina tells me stories of his heroic adventures and deeds. I think they expect me to be like him. To uphold his mantle.” 

“Is that what you want?” Alice asked, staring at Robin in surprise. 

“I don’t know. I like magic. Mom and Aunt Regina were two of the most badass witches in the Enchanted Forest, but it just doesn’t feel like me. I pretend like I’m like them. My friends even think I’m going to be the next wicked witch, but it’s all just a façade. Know what I mean?” Robin explained, looking vulnerable for a few moments before the mask took over again. “Ignore me, I’m just being a child.” 

“Just because your mom and aunt used magic, doesn’t mean you need to,” Alice said, watching Robin. 

Sighing, Robin didn’t respond. She just turned and started walking off towards town again. “Come on, Tower Girl. We have people to see, and you have places to go.”

Alice shook her head, knowing without a doubt that Robin had just closed herself off from the conversation, and just followed along in silence. Once the duo reached the town, Alice started to get nervous, wanting to ask Robin more questions but afraid of how the brunette might react. 

“What’s wrong, Tower Girl?” 

“Nothing,” Alice said, keeping pace just behind Robin.

Alice was surprised when Robin suddenly stopped and turned to face her. Unaware of Robin’s intent to stop quickly, Alice slammed into Robin before falling backwards. “Woah, you okay?” Robin asked, as she caught Alice before she could hit the ground. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have stopped so quickly.”

“I’m fine,” Alice said, moving out of Robin’s arms quickly. 

“Okay,” Robin replied, drawing out the syllables at Alice’s quick reply and movements. 

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to stop,” Alice told her, acting as though that explained her reaction. 

“What’s wrong, Alice?” Robin asked again, noticing that Alice was very uncomfortable suddenly. 

“Nothing,” Alice repeated, walking around Robin and moving down the street. 

“You’re going the wrong way!” Robin called out. 

“Then lead the way,” Alice replied, turning around to face Robin. 

“Not until you talk to me. What has you on edge again? I thought you were over the prank?” 

“Well, I’m not, okay?” Alice said, moving towards Robin to stand directly in front of her and glaring up at her. “Why are you being nice to me now? You start out pretending you want to kill me. Now you decide to apologize and be nice to me. That’s a big change in a small amount of time. Why are you being nice now?” 

“I’m capable of being nice to people,” Robin replied, glaring at Alice in response. 

“Not to me. You’ve been nothing but cruel to me when you first met me. Tricking me into coming with you into the graveyard, forcing me to stay there even when I begged you to let me leave, then ripping my heart from my chest and pretending you would crush it. Why be kind now?”

“Because I went to far,” Robin whispered, staring at Alice. “I saw the pure fear in your eyes. I watched you trembling in the corner and knew I had gone too far. Even before Mom and Aunt Regina chewed me out, I knew I needed to make it up to you. I’m sorry, Alice. For whatever it’s worth, I’m sorry.” 

“I wasn’t afraid. I’m the daughter of a pirate. I’m never afraid,” Alice mumbled, squaring her shoulders back as if that would prove her fearlessness. 

Robin smiled softly, seeing fear in Alice’s eyes even as her body tried to prove otherwise. “Even pirates feel fear, Alice,” Robin said, watching as Alice deflated. 

“Papa doesn’t,” Alice argued, giving Robin a sad look. 

“Yes, he does. He fears for you. He just never wants you to see it. Every parent feels fear where their children are concerned,” Robin told her, giving her a sad smile. “Mom told me that when I was ashamed to admit I was scared when I was a kid.”

Alice stared at her in silence, tears swimming in her eyes as she watched the brunette. “Thank you,” she finally whispered, breaking the silence. 

“For what?” Robin asked, confused by Alice’s words. 

“For apologizing and making me not feel bad for being scared.”

“Don’t mention it, Tower Girl,” Robin replied, smiling softly at Alice before turning to walk off, leading the way once more to her home so that Alice could find some help.


	4. Chapter Three: Incorrect Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left comments or kudos. I'm doing my best to update each week but no guarantees. Please be patient because I do suffer Writer's Block sometimes plus I have college I'm suffering through at the moment. Thanks again to anyone who is taking time to read it. If you have any ideas or suggestions you'd like to see happen in the story, don't hesitate to tell me and I'll see what I can do.

The walk to the small farmhouse where Robin lived seem to take forever. Alice was exhausted and starting to question if Robin was lying about just pretending she was going to kill her. After walking in silence for a long time, Alice finally asked the question that was nagging at her. 

“Are you taking me away from the village so you can kill me?”

“No, Mom just lives away from town. She doesn’t feel comfortable living amongst the heroes without magic to protect her,” Robin explained, glancing at Alice. “Besides, I already told you I’m not going to kill you.” 

“Doesn’t mean you’re not lying to me. Papa said the best way to gain someone’s trust is to tell them exactly what they want to hear.” 

Robin stopped, turning to face Alice in disbelief. “So, does that mean you trust me?” 

“Not yet, but I could, with time,” Alice announced, moving around Robin so she could continue walking. “Come on, Nobin, lead me to the Wicked Witch.”

“Nobin?” Robin asked, confused by Alice’s mispronunciation of her name. 

“You said your papa was named Robin as well. So that makes you new Robin. Nobin.”

“Don’t call me that,” Robin said, practically feeling her coolness dissipate at the nickname. 

“Why not, Nobin?” 

“Because it’s not cool, okay?” Robin whined, frowning at Alice. 

“Cool? Why would you want to be cool?” Alice wondered, not understanding Robin’s reasoning. 

“You haven’t gotten out much since the tower, have you?” Robin asked, looking at Alice out of the corner of her eye as they walked towards her mother’s farm. 

“I’ve been loads of places. And this place, my least favorite in all the realms,” Alice announced, shaking her head. 

“You know, Storybrooke isn’t half bad if you give it a chance,” Robin told her, reaching out to grab Alice’s arm and stopping her from walking ahead. “I can show you around, let you see the nicer side of it.”

“What nicer side? You have someone who looks like my papa but isn’t my papa. I was forced into a graveyard where you ripped my heart out and threatened to crush it, and now I’m going to see the Wicked Witch of Oz to try to find my way back home,” Alice snapped, ripping her arm out of Robin’s hold. 

“I told you multiple times I was sorry about that. Are you ever going to let it go?” Robin asked, glaring at Alice. 

“When I’m safe in the Enchanted Forest, yes,” Alice said, moving in the direction they had been traveling. “Come on, Nobin.”

“Stop calling me that,” Robin groaned, following Alice towards the last little bit towards her mother’s farm. “We’re almost there. It’s just past this hill.”

As soon as Robin finished speaking, Alice was surprised to see a tiny farm settled below with a sign outside the gate that read “There’s no place like home.”

“Ready?” Robin asked, looking at Alice before starting down the hill. 

“She’s not going to turn me into a flying monkey, is she? Papa used to tell me about the witch of Oz turning people into flying monkeys when they made her mad,” Alice rambled, starting to get nervous. 

“Mom no longer has magic, so no. She may know of a way to get you home though. If she can figure out a spell, Aunt Regina and I can send you home.” 

“Aunt Regina?” Alice asked, remembering Robin calling the woman from the crypt that. 

“Yeah, she was once the Evil Queen. You know the one that tried to kill Snow White?” Robin asked, seeing Alice nod in acknowledgement before continuing. “Anyways, she ended up becoming friends with Snow White’s daughter, Emma, and now she’s good. Aunt Regina was actually dating my father before he died.”

“Come again?” Alice asked, even more confused now. 

“Never mind. It’s a very long story.”

“So Robin Hood had a daughter with the Wicked Witch and was dating the Evil Queen?” Alice summarized, trying to see if she understood everything. 

“Yeah, there’s a lot more that happened in-between, but I don’t want to get into it,” Robin said before they stopped outside the door to the small farmhouse. “Besides, Mom wouldn’t want to find out I was telling a stranger that story.” 

Before Alice could respond, Robin opened the door to the house and walked inside. “Mom, I’m home!” she called out, waiting patiently for the angry response she knew would follow. 

“Where the hell have you been? When I tell you you’re grounded, that means you don’t go out and do whatever you feel like. I told you, no friends. If I had my powers, I’d turn you into a flying monkey,” Zelena snapped as she came out of the kitchen, freezing when she noticed her daughter wasn’t alone. 

“I know, but I wanted to go apologize,” Robin said, motioning towards Alice. 

“You’re the girl my Robin threatened, right?” Zelena asked, moving forward. “What is your name again, dear? Amy? Lisa?” 

“Alice,” Alice whispered, terrified of the woman before her. 

“Right. Now why are you here? I don’t imagine this is just a social call?” Zelena wondered, wiping her hands on her pants as she looked back and forth between Robin and Alice. 

“Alice wants to find a way back to the Enchanted Forest. I was wondering if you or Aunt Regina might know of a spell or portal she could use to get back?” Robin asked, motioning for Alice to come inside so she could close the door behind them. 

“The Enchanted Forest? Why would you want to go back there?” Zelena said, disgust clear in her voice. “There’s nothing special there.” 

“My Papa is there, and my home,” Alice replied, her voice becoming clearer as the sting of insult filled her at Zelena’s words. 

Zelena just rolled her eyes as she moved to walk back into the kitchen. “Fathers are overrated,” she announced, shaking her head as she disappeared. 

“She was no help,” Alice said, after a few moments of silence. 

“Hold on,” Robin told her, disappearing into the kitchen, and leaving Alice standing alone in the doorway. 

When a few minutes passed without Robin returning, Alice sighed and started noising around the small living room, glancing at the pictures of Robin, Zelena, and Regina on the walls and shelves before stopping in front of a bookcase and looking at the variety of books before her. Reaching out, Alice pulled “Alice in Wonderland” off the shelf and stared at it in shock. Thumbing through the pages, Alice shook her head each time she found something about the story that was wrong. “I did not tell them to paint roses red,” she mumbled, shaking her head as she placed the book back on the shelf before grabbing another. 

By the time Robin came out of the kitchen, she was surprised to find Alice laying on the couch with a book in her hands, lost in whatever adventure she was reading. “What are you reading?” Robin wondered, staring at the enchanted blonde. 

“Robin Hood,” Alice announced, giving a sheepish smile as she sat up. “Your Papa had some amazing adventures.”

“Yeah, Aunt Regina said that whoever wrote the book got a few things wrong based on what my dad told her, but its still a good read,” Robin agreed, smiling at Alice. 

“My book is wrong,” Alice told her, causing Robin to lift her eyebrow in confusion. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Some of the bizarre things they said happened in Wonderland. There were no card men, or painting roses red,” Alice said, feeling irritated by the twisted version of her story. “And it wasn’t just a dream.”

“Alice, it’s just a child’s book,” Robin said, smiling at Alice’s frustration. 

“It’s not. It’s my story, but they got it all wrong. Wonderland wasn’t some strange imagined tale from a dream. It is a real place. I can show you,” Alice complained, causing Robin’s smile to grow. 

“I believe you,” Robin told her, holding out a hand to Alice. “Now come on, Mom made us something to eat while we wait for Aunt Regina to show up.”

Taking Robin’s outstretched hand, Alice followed Robin into the kitchen, forgetting her frustrations with the book for the moment.


End file.
